Richard Jones is an opera and theatre director for whom the written word is less important than visual and musical impact. I first came across his work in a phantasmagoric Midsummer Night's Dream he directed for the RSC in 2002, which turned the play from a dream into a nightmare, rather at the expense of Shakespeare's comedy. More recently his production at the Young Vic of Brecht's The Good Soul of Szechuan created a hellish vision of a capitalist/communist China which was one of the standout London shows of 2008.
Now Jones has returned to the Young Vic with designer Miriam Buether, costume designer Nicky Gillibrand and writer David Harrower to create a version of Nikolai Gogol's Revizor (Government Inspector), which turns its face resolutely away from any kind of realism. Gogol's satire about a lowly St Petersburg bureaucrat who is mistaken for an all-powerful government inspector by the mayor and officials of a Russian provincial town was updated by David Farr at the National Theatre a few years ago in a production that starred Michael Sheen as Khlestakov, under the title The UN Inspector. That show emphasised the contemporary relevance, setting the action in a newly independent and corrupt post-Soviet republic and making the central character a London estate agent. This one is completely different, being set visually in surreal dreamworld that combines elements of Russia in the 1840s with the present day. There is a genuine surreal streak in Gogol, but the fuzziness of time and place in Jones' vision blunts the satirical edge. Think of the absurd landscape of Lewis Carroll, illustrated by Tenniel, and you will get a flavour of what's in store.
Although there are still plenty of excellent visual gags, the essential complicity between actors and audience which is the key to comedy is wholly absent. The fourth wall remains intact throughout, even in the speeches delivered by Khlestakov to the audience. As a result, the play's key line 'What are you laughing at? You're laughing at yourselves' delivered by the Mayor in the final scene makes no impact. There is an excellent performance by Kyle Soller as Khlestakov, who is much more than just a cynical impostor; he deceives himself just as much as the mayor and townsfolk. Amanda Lawrence as the postmaster and Doon Mackichan as the mayor's socially ambitious wife are also very funny. I'm not totally convinced by Julian Barratt as the mayor. With a background in standup comedy and TV rather than stage acting, he seems to lack something in the acting department compared to the others. I saw this play in an early preview, but I don't think that the essential elements of this production are likely to change. Jones worked wonders with Brecht two years ago, but I don't think his reinvention of Gogol is as successful.
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